The Addictions Counseling Advanced Certificate program offers healthcare and mental health professionals and students additional substance use disorders and addictions treatment training to help with obtaining CASAC, or Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor, recognition. This certificate is the first step toward earning CASAC in New York, with varying options for reciprocity between states. The 10-credit hour Advanced Certificate and CASAC bridge program is available to students and working professionals interested in gaining an integrated healthcare understanding of addictions and holistic recovery processes. Coursework for the Advanced Certificate in Addictions Counseling. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2021, and research shows that deaths have risen fivefold over the past two decades. With substance-related addiction on the rise, highly trained counselors are in high demand. 

The four-course program is designed for master’s-level healthcare professionals, including counselors, social workers, nurses, rehabilitation counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists, who are seeking the CASAC credential and looking to enhance and grow their career options.

Program goals include:

• Gaining awareness of contemporary trends in substance use and addictions and holistic recovery processes.
• Developing skills foundational to the counseling specialty area of addiction counseling.
• Offering professional training and an ethical knowledge base to provide alcoholism and substance use counseling.
• Providing an expedited path to attain the CASAC credential—the most sought-after addictions counseling credential in New York State. 

This advanced certificate program does not lead to professional licensure. It allows students to meet the educational and training requirements of OASAS, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, to become a credentialed alcoholism and substance abuse counselor. Those who earn the advanced certificate are eligible to register for CASAC-T, the Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor-Trainee credential. Once a counselor has a CASAC-T credential, they are qualified to move on to the substance use-specific counseling experience component (2,000 hours), qualifying the individual for exam eligibility and then to eventually obtain full CASAC certification.